A WEE LITTLE BEE MADE MY DAY:))

After a sunny 75 degree day Sunday we have a cooler cloudy Monday going on for us.  Figured the best way to highlight our day was to head off into Ajo and do some laundry.


WHAT’S BETTER THAN AN EARLY MORNING GILA WOODPECKER??  HOW ABOUT 2 EARLY MORNNG GILA WOODPECKERS:))



WE TOOK THE BACK ROAD INTO AJO
Not that I’m any kind of expert on laundry facilities but the Lemon-Brite laundromat is easily one of the better ones we have been in on our travels.  Easy to find and lots of parking.  Very clean and no shortage of up to date washers and dryers here plus an easy walk across the road to browse around in the Family Dollar store while waiting.  Here’s a tip though if you are Canadian.  Be sure not to get any Canadian quarters mixed in with the American quarters required for the machines.  One Canadian quarter in the mix and your machine won’t work.



We met a lovely English couple this morning after receiving a blog comment a couple days ago.  And as it turns out they were our newest neighbors camped in a Leisure Van about a quarter mile north of us.  Joanne and Steve are from British Columbia and have been blog readers for a couple years.  They were in transit from Tucson to Yuma when reading my recent posts about Ajo and Darby Well Road decided to head this way and check it out.  Found themselves a nice campsite, liked the Darby area so much and decided to stay for a few days.  Sitting in my recliner I could look out and see them.  A couple emails back and forth and they stopped in to see us this morning around 8:30 on their way into Ajo and on to Yuma.  All the best to you Joanne and Steve and thanks for stopping by:))

Laundry went off without a hitch and we took us for a wee paved road drive out the north-east end of Ajo to check out another boon-docking area we had heard about near the ‘Roping Arena’.  Not as scenic of course and very flat which a lot of folks would prefer but not exactly our cup of tea.  Back into Ajo with a stop at Olsens Supermarket for a few things.  There’s a nice car wash at the Shell Station down the road so figured we might as well get rid of that Borrego Badlands mud we had picked up a few weeks ago when we temporarily misplaced ourselves one day.  I did manage to get most of it off except for some hard stuff in the wheel wells which I figure we’ll have jack hammer when we eventually get back to Bayfield.

THIS JEEP HAD SOME KIND OF SPECIAL FLUORESCENT RINGED HEADLIGHTS THAT I THOUGHT WAS KINDA COOL

HOLY POWERWASH BATMAN DID WE GET OURSELVES A NEW JEEP

LOOKS LIKE THIS FELLOW BUILT HIS OWN LITTLE HOUSE ON THE BACK OF HIS TRUCK.

A stop at the Ajo Visitor Center for a few pamphlets then off to Estrellas to try out the burgs there we had heard about.  Two thumbs up for Estrellas Angus burgs and home cut fries.  With tummies full we headed off back out to our rig and that was pretty much it for the day.  The overhead cloud cover did see fit at one point to drop about a dozen rain drops on our roof at one point.  Clouds did kinda break up a bit later in the evening.


DOWNTOWN ESTRELLAS IN AJO’S SOUTH END RIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY

EVERYTIME I DRIVE BY THIS WHITE CHURCH IN DOWNTOWN AJO I FEEL COMPELLED TO TAKE A PHOTO OF IT

Donna from Cave Dwellings asked the question,  Q: Do you treat your toilet every time after you dump your black tank? A: Yes we do and we use Thetford Aqua-Kem to which we add a touch of Dawn dish soap and a wee splash of Calgon Water Softner with those last 2 working great for keeping sensors free of any crud.  And Dennis over at Belly Acres RV Park in Ajo told us Camping World sells a product called Commando Black Tank Cleaner that is great for breaking up solids as well.  Sure beats having to get into the tank with a sledge hammer!!

I saw something in Pheebs water dish Sunday afternoon and upon closer inspection noticed a small bee had apparently flown in and drowned.  As I reached down to fish it out I saw a tiny leg movement so I carefully put my finger under the little fella and lifted it out of the water.  The bee’s wings buzzed for a second so I quickly took him outside and gently placed it on a lawn chair in the warm sun then sat down in the other chair and watched the little fella slowly come back to the land of the living.  Soon it’s wings were buzzing and he began walking around a bit.  As I offered a few words of encouragement It appeared to be cleaning it’s face with it’s front legs and moments later shook itself off with a happy little buzzing sound and took to the air.  That little bee made my whole day…….

GROANER’S CORNER:(( About a century or two ago, the Pope challenged the Jewish community of Rome to a debate.  The Jews looked around for a champion who could defend their faith, but no one wanted to volunteer. It was too risky. So they finally picked an old man named Moishe who spent his life sweeping up after people to represent them. Being old and poor, he had less to lose, so he agreed. He asked only for one addition to the rules of debate. Not being used to saying very much, he asked that neither side be allowed to talk. The Pope agreed.The day of the great debate came. Moishe and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Moishe looked back at him and raised one finger. The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Moishe pointed to the ground where he sat. The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Moishe pulled out an apple. The Pope stood up and said, "I give up. This man is too good. The Jews win." An hour later, the cardinals were all around the Pope asking him what happened. The Pope said, "First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger, to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions. Then I waved my finger around me to show him, that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground, showing that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and the wafer to show that God absolves us from our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of original sin. He had an answer for everything. What could I do?"
Meanwhile, the Jewish community had crowded around Moishe, amazed that this old, almost feeble-minded man had done what all their scholars had insisted was impossible. "What happened?" they asked. "Well," said Moishe, "first he said to me that the Jews had three days to get out of here. I told him that not one of us was leaving. Then he told me that this whole city would be cleared of Jews. I let him know that we were staying right here." "And then?" asked a woman.  "I don't know," said Moishe. "He took out his lunch and I took out mine."

ATOP THE PLOPS FIRST WITH KELLY AND PHEEBS THEN ATOP THE PLOPS AGAIN WITH PHEEBS, YUMA, AND DOUG

Another awe inspiring sunrise as I wandered around outside in my jams and housecoat toting 2 cameras along with me.  Nippy but not cold enough to scamper me back inside and I was able to get a few photos from around the coach.  Keep in mind folks all the landscape photos I have taken are from one tiny little area where we are camped.  You can only imagine the countless thousands of other locations and the kinds of beautiful photos you can find here.  Photography coffee table books could be published from this Darby Well area alone.  Surrounding mountains and cactus laden hillsides take on different hues and colors as Sunrise cycles through to Sunset.

We are about 4 days short of a full Moon and each night the surrounding Sonoran desert becomes enchantingly more beautiful in a nocturnal moonbeam glow which floods softly across the desert floor.  With our desert night air being so still and quiet if one had dropped a pin a mile away it would have likely shattered my ear drums.

I’M THINKING THAT MIGHT BE CARDIGAN PEAK OUT THERE

EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT TICKLES THE PEAKS OF WHAT MAY BE CHILDS MOUNTAIN

GROWLER MOUNTAIN RANGE IN THE DISTANCE

THAT SHADOWED DOME ON THE RIGHT IS CALLED PACK RAT HILL AND ON THE HORIZON ARE THE AJO MOUNTAINS

Instead of another flat lander walk on the road this morning we decided to do a little climbing so headed off on up the Cow Plop rocks behind us where the kids had climbed.  This was not the first time atop the plops and it wouldn’t be the last time for me today.  I was right back up there again shortly after our walk.

KELLY WITH HER NEW ALASKAN DIAMOND WILLOW ‘MATOON’ WALKING STICK

WE START OUR CLIMB TO THE ROUNDED PLOP TOP LEFT

KELLY’S DOWN THERE MAKING HER WAY UP THE STEEP ROCK STREWN SLOPE

AN OLD BUT SHALLOW MINING DIG

PHEEBS HELPS KELLY TO THE TOP OF THE CENTER ROCK

YAAAAAY MOM MADE IT

SEEING FOR MILES AND MILES

PHEEBS ENJOYS THE GREAT VIEW AND THAT’S OUR RIG OUT THERE

OUR CLOSEST NEIGHBOR IS VISIBLE OUT THERE TOO

SO THAT’S WHAT WE LOOK LIKE FROM THE COCKPIT OF A U.S. MARINES LOW FLYING A-10 WARTHOG

THAT IS BLACK MOUNTAIN OUT THERE

I THINK THIS PHOTO MIGHT GIVE YOU A GOOD IDEA ABOUT WHY I KEEP REFERRING THESE ROCKS TO COW PLOPS….MUST HAVE BEEN SOME MIGHTY BIG DARN COWS HERE AT ONE TIME THOUGH

Kelly used her new Alaska Willow ‘Matoon’ stick for the first time this morning climbing up to and coming down from the big brown Cow Plops.  Lots of Saguaro and Organ Piple Cactus along the way with some Hedge Hog and Prickly Pear scattered about.  Even saw a young Barrel Cactus and of course lots of Brittle Bushes which will be so pretty in the Spring with there bright yellow flowers.  Palo Verde trees and of course the ever present Creosote bushes.

It’s a bit of a loose rocks climb so it’s imperative one has on a good pair of gription oriented shoes.  The lower center Plop is easily accessible by a sometimes hard to follow rough path which swings around the southwest side of the center plop and leads one up on top from behind.  Nice views all round from up here which gives one a better perspective of the surrounding area.  We always dress warm in the cool morning air but by the time we reached our destination atop the rocks the Arizona morning was heating up fast so without lingering too long we carefully made our way back on down to the rig.  Going down through small loose rocks is akin to skiing downhill on a bunch of marbles with your shoes on backwards.  Kelly was sure glad she had her new walking stick with her.  I never use a walking stick because it gets in the way of my cameras. 

A FEW VIEWS FROM ATOP THE PLOPS

THIS ORGAN PIPE REMINDED ME OF AN OCTOPUS

WE BEGIN OUR TREK DOWN

THE TRAIL IS SOMETIMES HARD TO FIND

ALMOST AT THE BOTTOM

We had arranged for Doug from Miss Adventure Travels to drop over and it wasn’t long and he and Yuma rolled in and off Doug, Yuma, Pheebs and I headed back up the Cow Plops.  I knew Doug would like the short hike and great views from atop the Plops.  By the way I can’t remember if I read somewhere they are called the Cow Plops, heard it somewhere or it’s just a name I gave them years ago because of the way they looked.  I kinda like to think Cow Plops is mine.

THESE TWO ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO SEE EACH OTHER

It’s not often I walk or hike with anyone other than Kelly so it was nice talking to Doug on our way up.  Camera tips and ideas kind of took center stage for a bit and I’m always happy if I can help someone out with a few of my thoughts on camera stuff and photography.

Didn’t take the 4 of us long to land ourselves on the center Plop where Kelly, Pheebs, and I had just been a short time before.  One never tires of the wide sweeping views here in this long stretching land of mountains and desert.  The Sun was  getting even hotter as we stood there taking it all in and chatting away so it wasn’t long we were making our way back down again and heading for the shade under our awning at the rig.

DOUG GRABS A LAST PHOTO OF THE COW PLOPS

Doug is one of those laid back down to earth fellas I feel very comfortable with and we are able to talk about things that we both have in common and understand.  Fears, worries, apprehensions, future plans, hopes and dreams.  I like it when I meet someone I am totally at ease with.

 

YOU KNOW DOUG I FIGURE BETWEEN THE TWO OF US WE COULD PASS OURSELVES OFF AS BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDAMCE KID

Yuma and Doug stayed about another half hour then headed off into Ajo for a few groceries and things.  With this type of traveling lifestyle for the winter months one never knows if and when trails may cross again so there is a special bond amongst parting friends each time.  Most of us are at an age and stage in life now where we all know the trail’s end may just be over the next ridge or around the next corner……………….

NOW THERE’S A COUPLE OF GOOD GUYS

Ok, guess I had better get myself to answering a few questions here seeings how I said that’s what I would do:))

A FEW ATV’S RUMBLING THROUGH THE DESERT

Q: Do Ice Cubes in the RV Black Tank Really Work?……A: We came across that solution in the RV Net Forum years ago and yes it did work for us…….And Dave Burdick in a comment said this, ‘I have also added a 2 liter bottle or two Coca-Cola or Diet Coke...it helps break it up, and dissolve the pile.

 Q: I would interested how that tracker worked.  A: I’m assuming your talking about the ankle bracelet tracker I talked about Kelly putting on me in Algodones.  Although there are tracking devices put on felons etc I was only kidding about either Kelly or I having to wear tracking bracelets on our ankles to keep from getting lost.  Maybe something we should look into for Kelly though:))

 Q: Don says,  Ajo sure looks like it was a booming place at one time. Where do people work now??  A: Yes the big mine is closed.  There a lot of Border Patrol people in and around Ajo plus a couple other Government agencies here such as ICE and I have forgot what that stands for.  There really is no main employer in Ajo anymore like the old days of the mine so the town has reverted back to it’s own resources and appears to be doing reasonably well.  Winter RVing Snow Birds are a help during the winter months too. 

Q: Patsy asks, My only question is how do you know the names of all of the mountain ridges? Would love to know where you find that information.  A:  We carry the Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlas’s for California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.  These not only contain road maps but topographical maps for all these States naming such things as Mountain Ranges, Peaks, and Valleys.  Without constantly referring to these Bench Mark Atlas’s I wouldn’t know diddly squat. 

Q: Question. Do you not sometimes get a little worried about snapping photos of folks!?  A: My short answer to this question is yes I do.  Now I did write a long answer to this question which quickly got way too long so I have saved that long version for a future post in which I will again express my views on photographing people whether young or old.  I also got myself off on a little tangent about a couple other comments in the Shout Box and will let that ride for now.  But only for now…………

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Morty and Saul, are out one afternoon on a lake when their boat starts sinking.  Saul the banker says to Morty, "So listen, Morty, you know I don't swim so well." Morty remembered how to carry another swimmer from his lifeguard class when he was just a kid so begins tugging Saul toward shore. After twenty minutes, he begins to tire.
Finally about 50 feet from shore, Morty asks Saul, "So Saul, do you suppose you could float alone?"  Saul replies, "Morty, this is a hell of a time to be asking for money!"

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Knock Knock
Who's there?
Wilfred!
Wilfred who?
Wilfred like his present?
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Willa!
Willa who?
Willa you marry me!
Knock Knock
Who's there?
William!
William who?
Williamind your own business!
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Willie!
Willie who?
Willie be home for dinner!
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Willis!
Willis who?
Willis rain ever stop!

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Black Fellah to White Fellah
Dear white fellah,
There's a coupla tings you orta no.
Firstly
Wen I am born, I'm black.
Wen I grow up, I'm black.
Wen I get sick, I'm black.
Wen I'm cold, I'm black.
Wen I go out in the sun, I'm black.
And wen I get scared, I'm black.
And wen I die, yes, I'm still black.
But you white fellah ....
Wen you born, you pink.
Wen you grow up, you white.
Wen you get sick, you green
Wen you cold, you go blue.
Wen you go out in the sun, you go red.
And wen you get scared, you yellah.
And wen you die, you purple
And you call me coloured !!